Two sides that will be attempting to boost their chances of Premier League survival go head to head this weekend when Queens Park Rangers travel to The Hawthorns to take on West Bromwich Albion.

Ahead of this weekend's fixtures, QPR are in the relegation zone, but their opponents sit just five places above them in the table, eight points clear of the bottom three.

West Bromwich Albion

West Brom have certainly seen their form improve since replacing Alan Irvine with Tony Pulis as their manager earlier this year.

The Baggies have lost just twice in their last seven league outings, including a 3-0 loss to defending champions Manchester City last time out.

In the five matches before that loss, Pulis's side had conceded just two goals and kept four clean sheets, helping them put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye have both been vital to West Brom's upturn in form, with the two strikers responsible for the team's last six goals.

West Brom have much preferred playing at home to away this season, as six of their eight wins so far this campaign have been at The Hawthorns, so this fixture should present them with an opportunity to add to their points total.

A win could be enough to move West Brom up to 11th in the table, which would leave them level on points with Pulis's former club, Crystal Palace.

Just 10 points currently separate eighth-placed Swansea City and 15th-placed Hull City, so a strong finish to the season for West Brom could see them climb into the top half of the table.

Recent form: WDWLWL
Recent form (all competitions): DWLLWL

Queens Park Rangers

Chris Ramsey has led his side to just one victory since being appointed as Harry Redknapp's successor at Loftus Road back in February.

Since the 2-0 win over Sunderland, QPR have lost five matches in a row, which leaves them six points from safety with just eight matches still to play.

The team's performances have not been dreadful, with four of the five losses coming by a one-goal margin, including a closely-fought 2-1 defeat to Everton just before the international break.

The prospect of an away match will not be welcome news to QPR fans, as they have picked up just three points away from their home ground so far this season, losing 13 times on their travels.

The Hoops' weakness has been defending this season, as no team has conceded more goals in the Premier League so far this campaign, with 54 finding the back of the QPR net, while the team have kept just five clean sheets.

Scoring has not been too much of a problem, as 31 goals leaves them just behind the likes of Stoke City and Swansea City in the attacking table, but top scorer Charlie Austin has been kept off the scoresheet for the last three matches.

Recent form: WLLLLL

Team News

Ben Foster in action for West Brom on October 25, 2014

Ben Foster is out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee ligament surgery last month, so Boaz Myhill is expected to continue between the posts for the home side.

Craig Dawson will also be absent from Pulis's lineup after he was retrospectively suspended following a mix-up in their last match, which resulted in Gareth McAuley wrongfully being sent off for a foul on Wilfried Bony.

The fitness of the team's strikers could be crucial for West Brom, as Ideye missed their last match with a minor injury which kept him out of action with Nigeria last week, but he expects to be ready to play on Saturday.

Saido Berahino also skipped international duty with the England Under-21s, but his absence was a precaution as he rested an ongoing foot complaint, so he should be available.

Meanwhile, Ramsey has confirmed that Leroy Fer and Richard Dunne are both nearing fitness, but will need another week out as they both battle knee ligament injuries.

Mauro Zarate is expected to be ready though, despite returning to parent club West Ham for treatment on a minor knock, but Yun Suk-young's availability is unclear as he has not returned to training following international duty with South Korea.

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Myhill, McAuley, Wisdom, Olsson, Lescott, Sessegnon, Fletcher, Gardner, Baird, Ideye, Berahino

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Green, Isla, Onuoha, Caulker, Ferdinand, Phillips, Barton, Sandro, Vargas, Zamora, Austin

Head To Head

West Brom will be keen to avoid a repeat of their trip to Loftus Road earlier in the season, as they threw away a two-goal lead to give QPR a 3-2 win, with Charlie Austin netting a hat-trick.

QPR are unbeaten in their last three matches against the Baggies, with the home side's last win coming back in 2012, when they beat their opponents 2-1 at Loftus Road.

These two sides have met 37 times before in the league, and have a fairly well-matched record, with West Brom claiming 15 wins and QPR picking up 13, while just nine have finished level.

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We say: West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Queens Park Rangers

Given both sides' recent performances, this should be a closely-fought game, but West Brom's superior form and QPR's struggles on the road should be enough to lift the hosts to a win.